Elections

RESOURCES ABOUT GOVERNMENT

Congress.gov is the official website for U.S. federal legislative information. The site provides access to accurate, timely, and complete legislative information for Members of Congress, legislative agencies, and the public. It is presented by the Library of Congress (LOC) using data from the Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Office of the Secretary of the Senate, the Government Publishing Office, Congressional Budget Office, and the LOC’s Congressional Research Service

www.senate.govhas useful links especially the Executive Calendar which shows you the agenda for today; the daily digest which shows you the outcome of yesterday’s agenda. Plus, a list of the Senators of the 115th Congress.

www.house.govshows the agenda for the House and also a zip code look up for your representative (upper right corner).

US CONGRESS

New York state has 2 senators in the United States Senate and 27 representatives in the United States House of Representatives. The United States is divided into 435 congressional districts, each with a population of about 710,000 individuals. Each district elects a representative to the House for a two-year term. Each state elects two senators for staggered 6-year terms. Senators represent the entire state. Find your members of congress. Go to Govtrack.us

NY City Council

NYC Community Boards

Official NYC Website

Your Representatives’ Voting Records

The better informed you are, the more effective you can be in your communications with elected officials. See also Vote Smart-Facts Matter.

Learn about the NY State Senate IDC and why IDC Senators must be voted out of office in 2018

The Independent Democratic Conference (IDC) – led by Bronx Sen. Jeff Klein – is a group of NY State Senators who were elected to office as Democrats but align with Republicans. In 2012, Democrats won a majority of seats in the State Senate, but the IDC broke away from the main Democratic conference to give Republicans control of the Senate [Huffington Post]. Democrats also held a majority of Senate seats after winning a Special Election in 2016, and once again after the 2016 election, but Republicans have remained in charge through their alliance with rogue Democrats [Buffalo News]. Governor Cuomo has not stopped this alliance [New Republic]. Indeed he is backed by New York real estate interests--supporters of the IDC [Huffington Post]. NO progressive legislation can get passed in the state senate because the IDC votes with the Republicans. Make your voice heard and speak out against the IDC. Pressure your elected officials to spread the word. Email, call or send a letter to Governor Cuomo and to your reps. to voice your opposition. Read more and get informed.